1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable clothes drying device, especially for drying sweaters and the like which are susceptible to stretching or other distortion during drying operations. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable clothes drying device for housing a conventional blower fan and a plurality of slidably engageable horizontal shelf inserts that support the clothing during the drying operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
The conventional clothes dryer is a large machine having a heat source, an internal rotating drum, and a door. Clothing is placed inside the rotating drum and the door is closed. The clothing is rotated and heated air is circulated about the clothes. The dampened air is directly vented to the outside of the house. The clothes dryer, however, is an expensive, bulky machine that must be permanently installed and requires a great deal of electricity and/or gas to operate.
Portable clothes dryers have been developed as alternatives to the clothes dryer machine. Also, clothes lines are commonly strung outdoors and clothing is hung on the line and affixed with a pin. Likewise, standing clothes drying racks have been utilized for hanging clothes both indoor and outdoor. However, these hanging lines or standing racks require a great deal of time for the clothes to dry thoroughly. Outdoor racks subject the clothes to inclement weather, insects and debris. Indoor racks, on the other hand, require a great deal of space and dampen the immediate air.
One type of indoor drying rack is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,619 to Kaplan, in which a foldable drying rack fits over a hot air floor duct. Clothing is hung on the rack and hot air is directed through ducts in the rack to the hanging clothing. The drying rack of Kaplan, however, is clearly limited to being used only over floor ducts. This requires the floor duct, as well as the surrounding area, to be free from furniture and other obstructions. In addition, vent coverings must be removed, which may be hazardous to children in the event the rack is knocked over. Also, the Kaplan rack interferes with the heating plan of the house, and cannot be used during non-heating months.
Another portable clothes dryer is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,409,996 to Konstandt. Konstandt hangs a heated blower to extend horizontally from a wall. A hanger rod runs parallel to the blower so that clothes can be hung on the hanger. The Konstandt apparatus, however, is not portable. In addition, the clothing must be hung, which results in stretching and deformity of clothes, particularly sweaters and the like.